Halal certification in Malaysia is issued by JAKIM and the state Islamic religious authorities, through the online MYeHALAL system and under a procedure manual that JAKIM amended with effect from 1 April 2026. Certification itself is voluntary, but the halal claim is not: once a label, menu or sign tells Muslim customers a product is halal, the law expects a valid certificate behind it. For an SME the fee is modest, from RM100 a year for a micro business; the preparation, from staffing to supplier records, is the larger job.

This guide explains who certifies, the nine schemes, what you need in place before applying, the fees, the steps and timelines, and what changes when you export. It describes the rules as JAKIM sets them out; for a decision on your own products, the competent authority handling your file has the final word.

Who certifies, and under what law

Malaysian halal certification rests on the Trade Descriptions Act 2011. JAKIM’s procedure manual states that it is issued under subparagraph 7(2) of the Trade Descriptions (Certification and Marking of Halal) Order 2011, and names JAKIM and the state religious councils and departments (MAIN and JAIN) as the competent authorities, according to the amended Malaysian Halal Certification Procedure Manual (Domestic) 2020.

Which authority handles your file depends on the scheme and the manufacturing address, and you cannot ask to switch, the manual says. JAKIM itself handles central kitchens, chains of three or more outlets under one brand, and food premises under one brand operating in more than one state.

The 2026 amendments

JAKIM’s Malaysian Halal Certification Circular No. 1 of 2026, signed on 12 February 2026, amended the 2020 manual after review with the state authorities, and the amended version took effect on 1 April 2026. The same circular brought the MS 2738:2023 standard for halal consumable goods into force for the consumer goods scheme.

A second circular on the same day formally cancelled the separate Halal Certification Agreement introduced in 2020, with effect from 1 February 2022; holders had been told in January 2022 that its submission was suspended. JAKIM’s reasoning, set out in Circular No. 2 of 2026, is that as statutory authorities under the 2011 Order, JAKIM and MAIN already have the powers to regulate certified companies, so holders answer directly to the law, the standards and the manual.

Is halal certification compulsory?

For most businesses, no. When JAKIM floated making certification mandatory for restaurants and food companies that do not serve pork or alcohol in September 2024, the religious affairs minister said certification was voluntary for food outlets and that several laws would need amending to change that, Free Malaysia Today reported. Later that month, FMT reported, citing an unnamed source quoted by Sin Chew Daily, that the Cabinet had agreed to keep certification voluntary.

What is not optional is honesty about the claim. In May 2026 a Perak groundnut company was fined RM21,000 by the Kuala Kangsar Sessions Court for falsely describing packaged peanut products as halal, under paragraph 4(1) of the 2011 Order, the New Straits Times reported.

The charge against the company carried a maximum fine of RM200,000, or up to RM500,000 for a second or later offence, according to the same report. The practical line, then, is simple: if you sell to Muslim customers without any halal claim, certification is a commercial choice, but if you want the word or logo on your product, menu or shopfront, you need a certificate first.

The nine certification schemes

The amended manual opens domestic certification to nine schemes, listed in its Procedure 4. Each has its own specific requirements, so the first decision is which one fits your business.

• Food and beverage products: manufacturers, repackers, central kitchens and brand owners.
• Cosmetic products: products notified with the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA).
• Pharmaceutical products: registered medicines in finished dose form, prescription or not.
• Food premises: restaurants, cafes, canteens, bakeries, chains, caterers, hotel kitchens, food trucks, food court stalls and kiosks.
• Consumer goods: finished or semi-finished products other than food, cosmetics, medicines or medical devices.
• Logistics services: transport, warehousing and retailing, including food delivery.
• Slaughterhouses: for poultry, cattle, goats and other halal animals.
• Contract manufacturing (OEM): manufacturers or repackers making products for another brand.
• Medical devices: devices registered with the Medical Device Authority, such as sutures, implants and certain solutions.

The definitions and eligible applicants for each scheme are set out in the amended manual. A brand owner that outsources production can apply as a brand owner, while its contract manufacturer may hold its own OEM certificate.

Who can apply, and who cannot

The manual applies to companies registered in Malaysia or abroad that run a business or produce goods or services in Malaysia. To apply, you need a valid SSM registration (or the equivalent for a cooperative or statutory body) and a licence or approval from the local authority. Where relevant, you also need registration or licences from the health ministry’s food safety division, the veterinary department, NPRA or the Medical Device Authority.

Timing matters. A new applicant must have been operating fully for at least three months before applying, and a company that moves must have run at its new site for at least a month, under Procedure 5 of the manual.

You must produce or handle only halal products, including any trading products you bring in, and apply for every product or menu item still made at the premises. Company, product, menu and brand names may not use the word “halal” or anything that suggests suitability for Muslims.

Applications the manual rules out

Procedure 6 lists the applications that are not eligible. The ones that most often catch SMEs are these.

• Companies that make or distribute both halal and non-halal products, including food delivery services that carry both.
• Using the same brand for halal and non-halal products or services.
• Fresh, unprocessed and unpackaged produce, such as fresh fish, vegetables or eggs.
• Names that refer to or resemble non-halal products, with examples such as ham, bak kut teh, bacon, beer, rum, hot dog and char siew.
• Finished products relabelled without any processing in Malaysia.
• Food premises serving any non-halal menu, and hotels with kitchens that prepare or serve pork-based dishes.
• Products still at an early research and development stage.
• Items with no need for halal certification, such as fertiliser, paper, cement, tiles, insecticide and carpets.

The naming rule is worth checking before you print packaging or a signboard. A product called “hot dog” cannot be certified under that name even if every ingredient is halal, because the manual excludes the name itself.

What you need in place before applying

The manual’s general and scheme-specific requirements run to dozens of pages. For most SMEs the work falls into three areas: raw materials, staffing and the internal halal control system.

Raw materials and suppliers

Every raw material must be halal, safe and uncontaminated, and traceable to its original manufacturer, under Procedure 17 of the manual. Animal-based materials need a valid halal certificate from a competent authority or a recognised certification body, and imported meat, gelatin and similar inputs must come from slaughterhouses or plants approved by the Department of Veterinary Services.

For imported inputs, the certificate has to come from a body JAKIM recognises. JAKIM’s list of recognised foreign halal certification bodies, dated 20 February 2025, named 85 bodies. They span 47 countries, so check each supplier’s certifier against the list in force when you apply.

Products using capsules, gelatin, collagen or marshmallow carry an extra duty. Under JAKIM Circular No. 1 of 2025, dated 28 November 2025 and effective immediately, certificate holders and applicants must run self-monitoring on these products and send samples to a laboratory accredited to MS ISO/IEC 17025 for nucleic acid analysis.

Muslim staff and halal roles

The manual requires Muslim employees on site, and the number and supporting roles scale with the size of the business. The food and beverage scheme sets the pattern, which the OEM and medical device schemes repeat; its requirements in Procedure 18 of the amended manual are as follows.

Food premises follow a similar pattern. A restaurant, cafe, canteen or bakery needs at least one Muslim Malaysian employee in a permanent post for each premises throughout operating hours, a Halal Supervisor and an IHCS, while a hotel needs at least two Muslim employees for each certified kitchen, according to the same manual.

The roles carry conditions. A Halal Executive must be a Muslim Malaysian citizen in a permanent post, with at least a Diploma in Halal Management or equivalent, or five years’ experience in halal management, and a Halal Executive certificate from a training provider registered with JAKIM’s Halal Professional Board. JAKIM publishes the register of approved halal training providers, which it updated in March 2026.

If you are recruiting to meet these requirements, the usual employer duties apply to each new hire; our guide to hiring employees in Malaysia covers EPF, SOCSO, EIS and the Employment Act.

IHCS or HAS: the written system

Micro and small applicants build an Internal Halal Control System, and medium and large ones a fuller Halal Assurance System, both under JAKIM’s Malaysian Halal Management System (MHMS) 2020 manual. An IHCS has three elements: a halal policy understood and shared with everyone concerned, a documented procedure for controlling raw materials or halal risk, and a traceability procedure that can trace raw materials, suppliers, customers and finished products, under Procedure 19 of the manual.

Each element must match what happens on the floor and be recorded so an auditor can check it. A HAS adds an Internal Halal Committee of at least four members, appointed in writing by top management.

Extra conditions for food and beverage makers

The food and beverage scheme adds health and hygiene conditions. Each premises needs a valid food premises registration from the health ministry’s Food Safety and Quality Division, every food handler needs a food handler training certificate and a valid anti-typhoid vaccination, and production must meet MS 1500:2019, the Food Act 1983 and its regulations, the manual states.

Fees

Every domestic application carries a RM20 processing fee, or RM200 where the applicant is registered abroad but manufactures in Malaysia, under Procedure 7 of the amended manual. Certification fees then depend on the scheme and the size of the business.

Source for the table: Procedures 7 to 14 of the Malaysian Halal Certification Procedure Manual (Domestic) 2020, as amended from 1 April 2026.

Size is set by annual turnover, so have your annual accounts to hand before you declare a category. Fees are not refundable or transferable, and the authority can charge more if the information used to set the fee turns out to be wrong, under Procedure 15.

The MYeHALAL process, step by step

Applications are made online through MYeHALAL on the Halal Malaysia portal. JAKIM’s application flowchart and Procedure 21 of the amended manual set out the sequence below.

1. Register a user account. Eligibility is checked against your SSM or equivalent registration number, and the authority verifies the account within 24 working hours.
2. Fill in the application form. Choose the scheme and category carefully, declare every raw material by its real name rather than a trade name, and make product or menu names match the label or menu exactly. One application may cover up to 100 products, except for food premises, logistics and OEM.
3. Submit supporting documents within five working days of sending the online form. Incomplete applications, or ones filed under the wrong scheme, are rejected.
4. Document review. Its length depends on how many products, menus or premises you apply for.
5. Pay the charge letter within 14 working days. A late payment means the application is rejected and you must start again.
6. Field audit. It is scheduled only after payment; you cannot change the notified date unless you give a reasonable cause formally and promptly.
7. Corrective action. Any non-conformance found at the audit must be fixed before the file goes forward.
8. Panel decision and certificate. The Malaysia Halal Certification Panel decides, and successful applicants are normally issued the certificate within five working days of its decision, unless the authority sets another period.

Two rules in the manual are easy to miss. Once the charge letter is issued, you cannot add products, menus or premises, or change company details, in the same application. And the authority deals with you directly, not through third parties or intermediaries such as consultants, under Procedure 21(12).

The manual sets deadlines for each step but no single end-to-end deadline. How long the whole process takes therefore depends largely on how complete your documents are and how quickly you clear any audit findings.

How long a certificate lasts, and renewal

Validity depends on the scheme, under Procedure 35 of the amended manual.

The five-year option is for holders who have kept a certificate for at least five years, have had no non-conformance found at audits or monitoring, have never faced halal control action and run their MHMS effectively. It is offered at the authority’s discretion, the manual states.

Renewal is online and must be filed between six and three months before the certificate expires, under Procedure 22. An expired certificate cannot be renewed: the application is treated as new, and new products, premises or menu items cannot be slipped into a renewal.

Halal for exporters

Malaysia’s halal exports reached RM68.52 billion in 2025, according to Halal Development Corporation (HDC) figures reported by the New Straits Times. That was 10.9% more than the year before; food and beverages made up just over half, and China and Singapore were the two largest markets.

What the Malaysian certificate does and does not do abroad

A Malaysian certificate is the starting point, not the finish. The manual allows the authority to apply ISO/IEC, OIC/SMIIC or other recognised standards on top of Malaysian Standards where an export market demands them, under Procedure 1 of the manual. For each shipment, a consignment note can be issued for RM100 per consignee.

Rules in the destination country decide the rest. In April 2025, Malaysia and Indonesia agreed in principle that halal products exported to Indonesia could carry JAKIM’s logo without a separate procedure, with Malaysia recognising Indonesian certification in return, FMT reported. The report gave no start date or conditions, so confirm the current position with JAKIM and Indonesia’s halal agency, BPJPH, before you ship.

Financing support

Budget 2026 put money behind halal SMEs. SME Bank set aside RM100 million in financing for halal micro, small and medium enterprises, and government guarantees for halal SMEs through SJPP doubled to RM2 billion, The Star reported when the budget was tabled. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also said JAKIM would speed up certificate issuance.

Other grants and soft loans change from year to year; our guide to SME financing in Malaysia sets out the main government schemes and how to approach them.

What to do next

A sensible order of work, based on the manual’s requirements, runs like this. Each step can be checked against the amended manual or with the authority that will handle your file.

1. Pick the scheme and confirm eligibility. Check your products, names and brand against the ineligible list, and make sure nothing non-halal is made or carried under the same brand or roof.
2. Get the licences in order. SSM registration, the local authority licence and, for food, the health ministry’s premises registration, food handler training and typhoid vaccinations for every handler.
3. Map every raw material. List each ingredient by its real name, its manufacturer and its halal certificate, and check foreign certifiers against JAKIM’s recognised list.
4. Set up the staffing. Appoint the required Muslim permanent employees for each shift, and a Halal Supervisor or Halal Executive trained by a JAKIM-registered provider.
5. Write the IHCS or HAS under the MHMS 2020 manual, and make sure the written procedures match what staff do.
6. Apply on MYeHALAL, upload documents within five working days, and keep cash ready to pay the charge letter within 14 working days.
7. Prepare for the audit by walking the premises against the audit scope: documents and records, raw materials, processing, storage, equipment, packaging and labelling, and transport.
8. Diarise the renewal six months before expiry, and keep records current, since monitoring continues after certification.

Exporters should add one step: confirm the halal requirements of each destination market, including whether it accepts the Malaysian certificate as it stands.

FAQ

Does a restaurant in Malaysia have to be halal certified?

No. The religious affairs minister described certification as voluntary for food outlets in 2024, when a proposal to make it mandatory for eateries that do not serve pork or alcohol was floated, and FMT later reported, citing Sin Chew Daily, that the Cabinet had agreed to keep it voluntary. A restaurant that displays a halal claim without certification, however, risks prosecution under the 2011 Order.

Can a non-Muslim-owned business get certified?

The eligibility criteria in the manual do not refer to the owner’s religion. They set conditions on registration, licences, premises, raw materials and products, and require Muslim employees in set roles, so a business owned by non-Muslims can apply if it meets them.

Can I use a consultant?

You can get outside help preparing your systems and documents, but the authority deals with the applicant directly, not through consultants or other intermediaries, under Procedure 21(12) of the manual. The account, the declarations and the audit are yours.

Can I print the halal logo while my application is being processed?

No. Until a certificate is issued, nothing stands behind a halal claim, and falsely describing a product as halal is an offence under the 2011 Order, as the 2026 Kuala Kangsar case shows. Separately, the manual bars the word “halal”, or anything suggesting suitability for Muslims, from company, product, menu, ingredient and brand names altogether.

How long does certification take?

There is no single published deadline. The manual fixes the applicant’s deadlines (documents within five working days, payment within 14) and the certificate’s issue within five working days of the panel’s decision, but review and audit time varies with the number of products and any audit findings.